title: Urinary free cortisol excretion in chronic fatigue syndrome, major depression and in healthy volunteers.
abstract: Urinary free cortisol excretion (UFC) was compared in 21 patients with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), in 10 melancholic depressives and in 15 healthy controls. Patients with depression had UFC values which were significantly higher than healthy comparison subjects, whereas UFC excretion of CFS patients was significantly lower than the comparison group. These findings are in keeping with currently held hypotheses of hyperactivity and hypoactivity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis in depression and chronic fatigue syndrome respectively. Five of the 21 CFS patients had a co-morbid depressive illness. This sub-group retained the profile of UFC excretion of those with CFS alone, suggesting a different pathophysiological basis for depressive symptoms in CFS.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychological Medicine, St. Bartholomew's Hospital and the Royal London School of Medicine, West Smithfield, UK.
authors.forename: L V
authors.initials: LV
authors.lastname: Scott
authors.forename: T G
authors.initials: TG
authors.lastname: Dinan
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015897:Comorbidity; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000652:urine*; D015673:Fatigue Syndrome, Chronic / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000652:urine*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000652:urine*; D007030:Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010913:Pituitary-Adrenal System / Q000503:physiopathology
chemical_list: D006854:Hydrocortisone